RAMMED U.S. PRESIDENT

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29898, 11 August 1962, Page 10

RAMMED U.S. PRESIDENT

Pacific Action Recalled (From Our Own Reportor) TIMARU, August 10. A dramatic incident in the; Pacific during World War II in which the President of the United States (Mr Kennedy) was involved was recalled this evening by the master of the Nitto Line vessel, Tenwa Maru. Captain Goto Nakajima was the navigator of the Japanese destroyer Amagiri (commander, K. Hanami) which rammed the American torpedo boat, P.T.109 in Blacke: Strait, in the Solomons, on a dark night hi August, 1943. The commander of P.T.109. which was on patrol near Kolombangara Island, was Lieutenant John F. Kennedy Captain Nakajima said the destroyer was flagship of a fleet of destroyers carrying troops. The Amagiri was doing more than 30 knots. “Suddenly we saw the torpedo boat looming up. There was no time to manoeuvre the destroyer. We rammed into the boat, cutting it in half.” said Captain Nakajima Machine-guns were fired from the stern of the destroyer, and the torpedo boat caught fire and exploded. They had no hopes of survivors, because the boat was “blown to fragments." The collision took place in the early hours of the morning. Lieutenant Kennedy and crew were rescued from an island several days afterwards. Captain Nakajima is a great admirer of President Kennedy. He has a Japanese translation of his biography in his cabin. Six officers and some members of the crew of the Amagiri. which was eventually sunk, survived the war Since becoming President, Mi Kennedy had written to the Japenese authorities in an effort to make contact with the old crew members of the Amagiri. and a letter signed by 10 of them—a form of “memorial address" had been sent to the President expressing their good wishes, Captain Nakajima said.